The present invention relates generally to devices, systems and methods for material fixation, and, more particularly, to suture management and tensioning devices used during soft tissue reconstruction or bone-to-bone fixation that will assist in the repair of many soft tissue injuries, such as in the reconstruction of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL).
Prior to completing the final steps of fixation during an ACL repair, the reconstructed ligament must be tensioned in order to establish joint stability. In The tendons of the Gracilis and Semitendinosus muscles are commonly harvested for use in ACL reconstruction. The tendons are doubled over to create a four strand graft complex. During ACL reconstruction the strands are sutured to form a paired complex of either of two strands sutured together. The strength and stiffness of the graft complex typically surpass that of the native ACL, and both characteristics are optimized when a relatively even tension is applied to each of the four tendon strands. The assignee of the present application has disclosed exemplary ACL repair systems and procedures, particularly, for example, in co-pending commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/725,981, entitled Method and Apparatus for Attaching Soft Tissue to Bone, filed on Mar. 20, 2007, and Ser. No. 11/923,526, entitled Methods and Systems for Material Fixation, filed on Oct. 24, 2007. Both of these prior applications are herein expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety. It would be advantageous to have a convenient and easily usable suture tensioning device and methods for tensioning the graft complex when practicing ACL techniques of this nature.